Indicating device for indicating data within the visual field of microscope

ABSTRACT

There is an indicating device constituted so as to be apt to indicate the data such as the magnification ratio of an objective lens, the value of NA, the data or the like in the visual field of a microscope and at the same time to record these data in photograph. This indicating device is provided with a display means (17) able to indicate various sorts of data informations through the data processor (16) and polarizing prisms (10, 11) arranged between the objective lens (9), display means (17), photographing lens (14) and eyepiece (13) to divide the light bundle from the objective lens (9) and the light bundle from the data display means (17) respectively and to make them advance to the eyepiece (13) and photographing lens (14), and the data informations displayed on the display means (17) are imaged on the image forming face (12) inside the eyepiece (13) and on the dry-plate (15). This indicating device may use, instead of the above mentioned polarizing prism, the optical fiber bundle (19) arranged between the data display means (17) and eyepiece barrel (22) to image the data information displayed on the display means (17) on the image forming face (12) inside the eyepiece (13).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an indicating device able to indicate the datasuch as the magnification of a lens system, the value of NA, the data orthe like within the visual field of a microscope.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the operation of microscopes, an observer needs to confirm themagnification and the value of NA of the lens system to be used uponevery exchange of the lens system. Further, according to the necessity,such data as the date or the like have to be photographed on thedry-plate at photographing. Therefore, various indicating devices havebeen proposed to simplify these operations. However, this kind ofconventional indicating device has such a formation wherein a scale orthe like is attached to the eyepiece that it is hard to say that it is aflexible indicating device since the indication is fixed. It preventsthe smooth operation of microscopes and the information amount isinsufficient. Further, such an indicating device as described inJapanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Ser. No. 134816/1980 isso arranged as to put a transparent synthetic resin ring at the imageforming position by an objective lens and to illuminate the lettersengraved on the ring by a lamp, but it has such a defect as is notsmooth in corresponding to the change of informations. An indicatingdevice as described in Japanese published Unexamined Utility ModelApplication No. 18247/1975 is so arranged with an indicating memberformed of liquid crystal in the visual field that it has the defect thatthe image would become deteriorated by receiving the influence of theindicating member.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dataindicating device for microscopes able to very clearly present many datainformations useful for the operation of microscopes and theobservation, record or the like of a sample in the visual field of theeyepiece and to record them in photograph, with a simple operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a data indicatingdevice for microscopes wherein the whole data indicating device isintegrally assembled in the main body of a microscope to form the wholesystem compactly.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dataindicating device for microscopes wherein a part of the data indicatingdevice is arranged in a position independent from the main body of amicroscope to enable to use the indicating device of a complicatedformation and thereby to enable to increase still more the flexibilityof the indication of informations.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The data indicating device, according to the present invention,comprises a data display means arranged outside of an eyepiece barreland an optical system arranged between an eyepiece and the data displaymeans and capable of projecting the indication displayed by the datadisplay means on the image forming position of a sample image through anobjective lens. By this formation, it is possible to display the datainformations useful for the operation of microscopes and for theobservation and record of the samples very clearly within the visualfield of the eyepiece with simple operation, and to record them inphotograph.

Further, the above mentioned optical system, according to the presentinvention, comprises a polarizing prism for dividing the light bundlefrom the objective lens and the light bundle from the data display meansrespectively and for making them advance to the eyepiece and aphotographing lens, or a prism for making the light bundle from theobjective lens and data display means advance to the eyepiece. By thisarrangement, the whole data indicating means is able to be integrallyassembled in the main body of a microscope and accordingly the wholemicroscope apparatus is able to be formed very compactly.

Further, the above mentioned optical system, according to the presentinvention, comprises an optical fiber bundle for leading the lightbundle from the data display means to the visual field of the eyepiece.By this arrangement, the data display device is able to be arranged at aposition independent from the microscope itself, and accordingly it ispossible to provide the data indicating means of complicated formationable to indicate freely more various kinds of data informations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing a microscope optical system assembled thereinan embodiment of the data indicating device according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a prism coated with an aluminiumfilm on its face surface in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing another embodiment of the data indicatingdevice according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example wherein the embodiment shown in FIG.3 is applied to a code data back.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention shall be explained in the following in accordancewith the appended drawings to describe more detailedly the invention.

In FIG. 1 showing the whole optical system of a microscope assembledtherein the data indicating device according to the present invention, 1denotes a light-source, 2 denotes a collector lens, 3 denotes a fieldstop, 4 denotes a mirror, 5 denotes a field lens, 6 denotes an aperturestop, 7 denotes a condenser lens, 8 denotes a sample, 9 denotes anobjective lens, 10 denotes a deflection prism having an upper-surface10a formed as the semi-transparent face and capable of dividing thelight bundle from the objective lens 9 to make them advance to theeyepiece direction and photographing lens direction, 11 denotes anauxiliary prism cemented on the upper surface 10a of the deflectionprism 10 and having a face 11a substantially perpendicular to theoptical axis of the objective lens 9 and a face 11b substantiallyperpendicular to the optical axis of the light bundle from a latermentioned data display means, 12 denotes an image forming face of asample image by the objective lens 9, 13 denotes an eyepiece of theinside focus type, 14 denotes a photographing lens, 15 denotes adry-plate, 16 denotes a data processor for processing the datainformations such as the objective lens 9, eyepiece 13, photographingdevice, magnification obtainable from a microscope operator, NA, thekind of the objective lens and eyepiece, the title and number of thesample or the like, 17 denotes a display means connected to the dataprocessor 16 to indicate these data informations by letters and figures,and 18 denotes an image forming lens for the image transmission to imagethe picture formed on the display means 17 on the image forming face 12through the prisms 10 and 11 and at the same time to image it on thedry-plate 15 through the photographing lens 14 after having reflected iton the semi-transparent face 10a of the prism 10. The display means 17,the image forming lens 18, the prisms 10 and 11, the eyepiece 13, thephotographing lens 14 and the dry-plate 15 constitute the indicatingoptical system for indicating the data informations within the visualfield.

The indicating device according to this invention is so formed asdescribed above and the various data informations presented on thedisplay means 17 is so imaged on the image forming face 12 of the sampleimage formed by the objective lens 9 through the above mentionedindicating optical system that much more abundant data informations thanby the conventional ones are obtainable in the condition of looking inat the eyepiece and the pictures are much more clear. Further, becausethe same data informations are imaged on the dry-plate 15, they are ableto be recorded as a photograph. Moreover, because the data informationsabout the objective lens 9 and the eyepiece 13 are able to beautomatically indicated on the display means 17 through the dataprocessor 16 every time they are exchanged, the operations to beexercised by the operator are the exchanging operations of the objectivelens 9 and the eyepiece 13 and the input operations according to thenecessity of the title of the sample, the date or the like. Accordingly,the whole operation becomes very easy. By the way, in case that theupper surface 10a of the prism 10 is coated with an aluminium film, thelight bundle from the image forming lens 18 may be passed through asmall opening 10a' arranged on a part of the aluminium film by deletingthe aluminium film thereof as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 3 showing another embodiment according to the present invention,the reference numeral 19 denotes an optical fiber bundle having anentrance end face 19a positioned on the image forming face of thepicture on the display means 17 formed by the image forming lens 18, 20denotes a microscope tube arranged with a hole 20a on a side wall and acircular projection 20b positioned around the hole 20a, 21 denotes aholding ring coupled on the inner side of the circular projection 20band holding the exit end face 19b of the optical fiber bundle 19 andpreventing the penetration of the outer light into the tube 20, 22denotes an eyepiece barrel for holding the eyepiece 13 having a hole 22awhich corresponds to the hole 20a of the tube 20 arranged on the sidewall near to the image forming face 12 by the objective lens 9, 23denotes a prism arranged inside the hole 22a of the eyepiece barrel 22,and 24 denotes an image forming lens arranged inside the hole 20a of thetube 20 to image the picture emerged on the exit end face 19b' of theoptical fiber bundle 19 on the image forming face 12 through the prism23. The barrel 22 and the tube 20 are coupled with each other throughthe adequate guiding device such as a projection and a groove so thatthe hole 22a of the eyepiece barrel 22 and the hole 20a of the tube 20are able to be coupled without fail. In this embodiment, because thedisplay means 17 is able to be arranged at the position independent fromthe main body of the microscope, a complicated formation is able to beused to increase the flexibility of the indication of informations.

In FIG. 4 showing the example to apply the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 ona recording data back, the reference numeral 25 denotes a dry-plate and26 denotes an image forming lens to image the picture emerged on theexit end face 19b' of the optical fiber bundle 19 on the dry-plate 25.In this application, the indication amount and the flexibility of theindication are more than in the conventional recording data back.

INDUSTRIAL UTILITY

As described above, the indicating device according to the presentinvention is very profitable for microscopes, because it is able toprovide various data informations useful for the microscope operation,observation recording or the like within the visual field of theeyepiece very abundantly and clearly, and through an extremely simpleoperation.

We claim:
 1. An indicating device for indicating data in a visual fieldof a microscope comprising: an objective lens, and eyepiece, a lightreflecting means arranged obliquely to an optical axis of said objectivelens and having a transparent portion at a site located outside of saidoptical axis; data display means arranged above said light reflectingmeans; a light leading optical system for leading thereinto aninformation light from said display means through said transparentportion; and a reflecting surface reflecting a light reflected by saidreflecting means and a light led in through said transparent portion todirect them to said eyepiece.